From 2 to 4 October, the Federal Chamber of Notaries is welcoming notaries from around the world, along with high-level representatives from politics, judiciary, academia and economy to discuss current developments and the future of the notarial profession.
Dr. Markus Sikora, President of the Federal Chamber of Notaries, opened the congress and led the discussion on the afternoon’s topic “New Tools – New Frontiers: Notaries at the heart of a digital system fit for the future”, emphasising the need to consider digitalisation as a tool rather than a threat in order to expand the important role of notaries in preventive administration of justice in the digital age and to continue to uphold core principles such as personal trust and legal certainty.
In his welcoming speech, Prof. Dr. Stephan Harbarth, President of the Federal Constitutional Court, emphasised the central role of the notarial profession for the stability and functioning of the constitutional state in times of digital transformation: “If the goal of preventive administration of justice – conflict avoidance and legal peace – carried out by notaries is achieved, notaries represent the face of the constitutional state, especially when advising clients and formalising legal acts.”
Then, Minister of Justice Dr. Stefanie Hubig and Dr. Felor Badenberg, Senator for Justice and Consumer Protection for the State of Berlin, took the floor. Minister of Justice Dr. Hubig emphasised the importance of notaries as reliable authorities who guarantee legal certainty, trust and continuity in the digital transformation: “You are the guardians of law – not only as pioneers and leaders, but also as defenders of law. The authentication requirements of the Latin notarial system are therefore far from being mere formalities. They are co-guarantors of a functioning rule of law.” At the same time, she emphasised the responsibility of notaries in the fight against money laundering: “In recent years, notaries worldwide have also assumed a great amount of responsibility in an area that is essential for combating organised crime and thus for the security and functioning of our society: the detection and prevention of money laundering. I truly appreciate that.” Senator Dr. Badenberg emphasised the responsibility and opportunities of the notarial profession to play an active role in a digitally connected and increasingly globalised society.
In his function as President of the Congress, Prof. Dr. Jens Bormann opened with a keynote speech in which he underlined the unique position of the notarial profession as a public office that serves as an “anchor of trust” and “guarantor of freedom” in times of digital transformation, stressing the need to set standards in digitalisation rather than merely following them.
The afternoon of the first day of the congress was devoted to the topic “New Tools – New Frontiers: Notaries at the heart of a digital system fit for the future”.
Presentations and panel discussions highlighted how innovative tools are changing notarial activities on a worldwide level. Furthermore, the opportunities and risks of notarial online procedures and the use of artificial intelligence were discussed. The notarial profession is clearly evolving dynamically and continues to serve as a reliable cornerstone of preventive administration of justice in the digital age.
